From the news reaching my ears and inbox, it was a great weekend to start the season. While the east coast suffers under a torrent of ice and snow, Northern California is enjoying epic sunny skies and perfect weather to play lacrosse. Unfortunately, some of this perfection is overshadowed by behavior problems from players, coaches, and fans.

I'm disinclined to harp too much on bad behavior, but coming out of a weekend with 3 unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on players, 1 on a coach, and several reprimands for fan behavior, I think we should all take a moment to reflect on what sort of example we are setting both on and off the field. I will accept (although I don't like it) that players get caught up in the moment and get called for unsportsmanlike penalties. As coaches it presents itself as a teaching moment, and hopefully the young man will carry that lesson with him. However, it is absolutely unacceptable for a coach of any age to display a lack of restraint that results in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty being assessed. We all agreed to adhere to the Positive Coaching Alliance code of conduct and if you are struggling with that, as a coach, then I suggest you reassess your participation in youth sports.

Other news reaching my ears this weekend included a several reports of undisciplined and otherwise out-of-control play from players at all levels, resulting in at least one concussion. As one coach put it to me, "this is lacrosse, not the UFC", but it seems to me that some coaches and players are having trouble telling the difference. Lacrosse is an aggressive, contact sport but coaches at all levels should recognize when their players are playing dangerously and take steps to correct that behavior. Games are great teaching moments for players, and pulling a player out for a few seconds to get their head on straight can save you and them a world of trouble in the long run.

I know there must have been many great plays and positive aspects this weekend, and I'd like to spend more time in future emails commenting on highlights from the preceding week, so if you find yourself particularly inspired, please send me a description. From this past weekend, we had zero ejections, which is a great way to start the season. Let's continue to work on cleaning up our play at all levels and keep our heads up as we head into the 2nd weekend of play.

I would love to hear each week about your highlights, lowlights, Sportsmanship Incidents, and Concussion reports. Highlights and lowlights can come to me via email, Sportsmanship Incidents should be reported on the SIR form (http://files.leagueathletics.com/Text/Documents/6490/17228.doc), and concussion reports can be submitted on our new concussion reporting form, available here.

2. Boys Protective Cups - there is a new rule this year about which many coaches seemed to be unaware. Boys at all levels are required to wear protective cups, but officials will NOT be checking for the presence of said cup. It is up to the coach to certify that all players are wearing cups, and if it becomes evident during the course of a game that a player is NOT wearing a cup, a penalty will be assessed.

3. Officials Evaluations and comments - I have created a handy guide for evaluating officials in ArbiterSports. Please see the following link: Evaluating Officials in ArbiterSports. Officials evaluations help us improve the level of officiating for the NCJLA, so coaches PLEASE evaluate officials for all of the games you play.